VA Supplemental Claims new and relevant evidence, VA Form 20-0995, and reopening a denied claim
A Supplemental Claim asks VA to decide a denied claim again with new and relevant evidence: something VA didn't have that tends to prove a point at issue. You can file any time on VA Form 20-0995 or online, but filing within a year of the decision keeps your effective date. At the Board, 73.9% of appeals over reopening were granted.
How the Board ruled on reopening a denied claim, 2021 to 2026
36,418
decided rulings in Claim Raven's library of Board of Veterans' Appeals decisions
- 73.9%reopened
- 8.5%sent back
- 17.6%denied
- 1 yearfile within a year of the decision to keep your effective date
- 45.7%of Supplemental Claims VA decided in August 2026 were granted
- 73.9%of Board rulings on reopening a denied claim were grants
- 36,418decided Board rulings on reopening, 2021 to 2026
VA figures: VA's AMA metrics for August 2026. Board figures: Claim Raven's analysis of Board of Veterans' Appeals rulings on reopening, 2021 to 2026.
On this page
What is a VA Supplemental Claim?
A Supplemental Claim asks VA to decide a denied claim again because you have new and relevant evidence, or because a change in law, such as the PACT Act, now covers it. You file it on VA Form 20-0995 (opens in a new tab) or online, at any time after the decision (38 CFR 3.2501, VA.gov (opens in a new tab)).
- File within a year to keep your date. A Supplemental Claim filed within one year of the decision continues the original claim, so the effective date can go back to it. Filed later, the award can start no earlier than the Supplemental Claim itself (38 CFR 3.2500(h)).
- VA has to help. A substantially complete Supplemental Claim triggers VA's duty to help get the new evidence you identify, such as VA records or private records you authorize on VA Form 21-4142 (opens in a new tab) (38 CFR 3.2501(c)).
- A worse condition is a different claim. If a rated condition got worse, VA says to file a claim for an increase, not a Supplemental Claim.
- How it usually goes at VA. In August 2026, VA decided 72,398 Supplemental Claims and granted 45.7%; finished claims took 57 days on average. Month-by-month figures are on VA decision review statistics.
What counts as new and relevant evidence
New means VA didn't have it when it decided. Relevant means it tends to prove or disprove something at issue, including a theory of entitlement VA never addressed. The standard isn't higher than the old "new and material" standard (38 CFR 3.2501(a)).
These examples are made up; each shows a different way an item can qualify:
| Way it qualifies | Prior denial | New item |
|---|---|---|
| Answers the stated gap | Migraines denied for no link to an in-service head injury | A doctor's report that reviews the injury and headache history and explains the link |
| Proves a missing fact | Shoulder denied: no in-service injury shown | A statement from a fellow service member who saw the fall and took you to sick call |
| Corrects a premise | Hypertension denied: first high readings in 2024 | A 2019 clinic note with high readings that VA never had |
| Raises a new theory | Left knee denied on a direct basis | A doctor's report that the service-connected right ankle caused or worsened the left knee (secondary service connection) |
What doesn't qualify
- A copy of something VA already had, even with a new cover page or file name.
- New but beside the point: another note confirming a diagnosis VA already accepted, when the denial was about the link to service.
Relevant is a threshold, not a result. Clearing it gets the claim decided again; it doesn't win it. A one-line medical conclusion can qualify and still carry little weight, so give VA evidence that answers the reason for the denial.
How to file a Supplemental Claim: VA Form 20-0995
Read why VA denied it
Find the element the decision says is missing: a current diagnosis, an event in service, or the link between them. Your new evidence should go straight at it.
Get the evidence
A medical opinion, records VA didn't have, statements from people who saw what happened. Or list the VA and private records you want VA to get, with the facility and dates.
File within a year if you can
Online for disability compensation, or on VA Form 20-0995 (opens in a new tab) by mail, in person or through a Veterans Service Organization. Filing within a year of the decision keeps your effective date.
If VA says the evidence isn't new and relevant
VA issues a decision saying there wasn't enough to decide again. You can file again with different evidence, or ask for a Higher-Level Review or a Board appeal of that decision.
Not sure a Supplemental Claim is the right review? Compare it with a Higher-Level Review and a Board appeal in the Appeals Advisor. For a filled-in sample, see the VA Form 20-0995 example.
Original research
Reopening a denied VA claim: what 36,418 Board rulings show
When veterans appealed VA's refusal to reopen or decide again a denied claim, the Board agreed the new evidence was enough in 73.9% of 36,418 decided rulings, 2021 to 2026. That opens the door; the claim itself is then decided on its merits, often after more work.
Before 2019, the test was "new and material" evidence (38 CFR 3.156(a)), and the Court called it a low bar (Shade v. Shinseki, 24 Vet. App. 110 (2010)). The current "new and relevant" test is meant to be no harder. At the Board, 71.4% of current-system appeals and 75.9% of legacy appeals on this question were granted.
The docket matters: on the hearing docket, 82.4% were granted; on direct review, where no new evidence can be added, 56.7%. At a hearing, your testimony goes into the record.
Reopening appeals at the Board, by year
Share of decided rulings on reopening or readjudication granted, sent back and denied each year.
- 75.1% granted, 8.6% sent back, 16.3% denied
- 77.7% granted, 8.3% sent back, 14.0% denied
- 73.9% granted, 9.5% sent back, 16.6% denied
- 70.3% granted, 8.7% sent back, 21.0% denied
- 66.1% granted, 9.1% sent back, 24.8% denied
- 79.5% granted, 3.6% sent back, 16.9% denied
Source: Claim Raven analysis of Board of Veterans' Appeals decisions. Dismissed and withdrawn appeals are left out.
Reopening: grant rate by Board docket
Appeals under the current system (AMA), 2021 to 2026. Granted out of every decided ruling, remands included.
Source: Claim Raven analysis of Board decisions. What went together, not proof that a docket caused a result: veterans with new evidence tend to pick the evidence docket.
Why the Board sent reopening appeals back to VA
Share of 3,080 remanded rulings, 2021 to 2026. A remand can give more than one reason.
Source: Claim Raven analysis of Board decisions.
What happened to reopening appeals after a remand
Legacy appeals the Board sent back and then decided again on the same docket, with the second decision in 2010 to 2026: 4,171 appeals. 49.4% were granted the second time, and 51.7% came back with nothing new the Board relied on.
Associations, not causes: a doctor usually writes a private opinion because the facts support the claim. Appeals under the 2019 system start a new docket each time, so they cannot be followed this way. More: what happens after a VA remand.
Questions veterans ask about Supplemental Claims
What is a Supplemental Claim?
A request for VA to decide a denied claim again because you have new and relevant evidence, or because a change in law now covers your condition. You file it on VA Form 20-0995 or online.
What is new and relevant evidence?
New evidence is information VA didn't have when it decided. Relevant evidence tends to prove or disprove something at issue, including a theory of entitlement VA never addressed.
Is there a deadline for a Supplemental Claim?
No, you can file one any time after the decision. But filing within one year of the decision keeps your original effective date; filed later, the award can start no earlier than the Supplemental Claim's date.
How long does a Supplemental Claim take?
VA's finished Supplemental Claims took 57 days on average in August 2026.
What is the Supplemental Claim success rate?
In August 2026, VA granted 45.7% of the 72,398 Supplemental Claims it decided. At the Board, appeals over whether a denied claim should be reopened or decided again were granted 73.9% of the time from 2021 to 2026.
Can I file a Supplemental Claim for a condition that got worse?
No. If a rated condition got worse, file a claim for an increase instead.
Can I reopen an old denied VA claim?
Yes, with new and relevant evidence, through a Supplemental Claim. If VA denied it before 2019, the same route applies now. The effective date usually can't go back past the Supplemental Claim unless it continues a claim filed within the past year.
Sources and method
Board data. Claim Raven reads every Board of Veterans' Appeals decision in its library ruling by ruling: 1,378,030 rulings in 511,036 decisions from 2021 to 2026, each tagged with the issue it decided, the outcome in the decision's order and what the Board relied on. This page counts the 39,457 rulings on reopening and readjudication. Grant rates are granted out of granted, denied and sent back (remanded); dismissed and withdrawn appeals are left out because the Board never decided them. "What the Board relied on" is read only on rulings the Board granted or denied, so it compares with that group's own grant rate. Groups under 100 rulings aren't shown. The library holds only part of 2021's decisions. These figures show what went together in decided appeals, not what caused a result, and they are appeals, not VA's first decisions. The full method is on the VA disability statistics page.
Rules (checked against the eCFR text on 2026-10-06):
- 38 U.S.C. 5108; 38 CFR 3.156, 3.159, 3.2500, 3.2501
- Court decision: Shade v. Shinseki, 24 Vet. App. 110 (2010)
- VA.gov: Supplemental Claims (opens in a new tab), VA Form 20-0995 (May 2024) (opens in a new tab), VA Form 21-4142 (opens in a new tab)
- VA's monthly decision review figures: VA decision review statistics (VA AMA Metrics Report)
Cite this page
Claim Raven. VA Supplemental Claims and reopening: rules and Board outcomes. Board data 2021 to 2026. https://claimraven.com/supplemental-claim
Claim Raven explains VA rules in plain English so you can work your own claim. It is not legal advice, and Claim Raven is not affiliated with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Board outcomes describe appeals that reached the Board; they don't predict any one claim.